Social game



W. WALSS Nov. 4, 1930.

SOCIAL GAME Filed Dec. '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v NGV. 4, 1930. w, wALss 1,780,256

SOCIAL GAME FJllede.` 7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNITED STA WALTHER WALSS, OF MEGGEN, NEAR LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND SOCIAL GAME Application led December 7, 1929, Serial No. 412,477, and in Germany January 211, 1929.

This invention relates to social games wherein a number of playing characters'are moved on a game board. In the known social games of this type, such as chess, checkers,`

! mill, halma etc. the playing Characters are moved on the game board according to predetermined rules, inother social games the extent of' the movements of the said characters isdecided upon by means of dice. In

it many ofthese games, with the exceptionof chess, the player who starts first, especially if he is a good player, has the most chance of winning; besides, the position of the game board `remains unchanged ,and rmerely the --f characters are shifted on the board so that the possible combinations for playing arebut few.

In order to increase the number ofplaying combinations ithas been proposed to shift 9G thecharacters 'onlthe game board by turning parts of the latter in that one or more playing fields were rotatably arranged on the gaine board. This arrangement, however, required the characters to be set up anew on the playing field, which was displaced by rotation. The social game according to the invention differs from the known games in that a disk or board showing the playing field is arranged below a transparentplate on which the characters are set up, the board or the plate being adapted to be rotated to alter the posit-ions ofthe characters relatively to the game boardavithout changing the position of the characters placed on the transparent `ulate. l vEmbodiments ofthe inventionl are illus` trated on the accompanying drawing by way of example, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section ofthe device in which the disk is rotatable; p l

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device partly in section, while y Y Figs. 35 show threev different playing 5 fields, V

".Fig. 6 shows a detail modification of Fig. 1` and Fig. 7 shows part of a further, embodiment in which' the transparentplatefis rotatable.v T Referring to Figs. l and 2 ofthe drawings,

1 designates a. `disk which is adapted to be rotated in that it is engaged by pins 2 which are fixed to a ratchet wheel 3 which is rotatable by means of a spring drive. The

spring drive i is secured to a double bottom rtending all around the periphery ofthe said disk. Above the game board 8 a fixed transparent plate 10, for instance of glass, is arranged which is set in the cover 11 of the box 6. The cover 11 is linkedto the box 6 by means of hinges 12 so that in its opened position (as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1) the game board is accessible for exchanging purposes. The box 6 is 4provided with a drawer 13 foi` the reception of the playing characters. i

In operative connection with the ratchet wheel 3 a detent 141 is arranged, the spherical end portion of which is pressed against the teeth of the ratchet wheel by a spring 15. A tension member 16 is connected to the detent 111 and secured at its other end to a pin 17 which is provided with a button 18 and longitudinally displaceablein a sleeve 19; the displacement of the pin 17 towards the interior of the box is counteracted .by a spring 20. The sleeve 19 is providedwith a groove 21 for a bayonet-catch in which engages a nose 22 on the pin 17.V When the pin 17 is pushed inwards and then turned the nose 22 enters the end portion of the groove 21, thereby, seeuringthe pin 17 in a position in whichthe det-ent 14 is retracted from the ratchet wheel so that the disk 1 is enabled to be turned by the spring drive in the direction of the arrow A. When, however, the button 18 is turned in the opposite direction soV that the nose 22 enters the axial portion of the groove 21, the pin 17, by action of the spring 20, is projected outwards so that lthe tension member 16 is released and the spring is enabled to urge the detent 14 against the ratchet wheel 3. The teeth of the latter are so shaped that they are adapted to pass the detent 14 by pushing the same aside as long as the kinetic energy of the disk 1 is still sufficient to effect this displacement. Thereby, the detent 14 exerts a retarding influence on the `diskl 1 so as to finally bring it to a standstill and, particularly, always in such a position in which the detent 14 bears against one of' the. teeth of the ratchet wheel, in other words, any turning movement of the disk is proportional to the angle at the centre which is determined by the number of teeth of the ratchet wheel.

In playing, the characters, which may have any shape, are set up on the `glass plate V10 above the starting positions indicated for them on the respective game board which has been inserted. All the game boards are based on the principle that always a number of possible positions for the characters lie on concentricV circles and that passage-ways are provided from one circle to the other, along which the characters are adapted to be moved, when the game board at the end of its displacement by rotation stops in such a position that the character on the glass plate stands above one of the starting points of the respective passageway.

The said passageways between the positionsof the characters on the different circles can be effected in various ways on the individual game boards.

Fig. 3 shows a game board for a domino game for children, who are familiar with the small multiplication table, giving them an opportunity for practicing the same. The board shows dominos of various colours con tinuously arranged beside each other and each representing an arithmetical example; the continuously arranged dominos represent paths along` which the characters are adapted to be moved in order to travel towards the centre from their starting positions. Four starting positions 23, 24, cated on the same circle by dominos of differentl colours having a light marked thereon. Each player is given three dominos of a lcertain colour. The button4 18 is pushed inwardly and then, turnedsoas to start the rotation of the game board, and by turning the button back, the disk and the game board together with it are retarded and., finally, stopped in one ofthe angular positions.

' Now, each of the players'sets up a charl acter on the glass plate above the corresponding starting domino. Thereupon, the disk 1 is turned again and stopped in a certain angular position by retarding action. AAs the turning movement is proportional to the angle at the centre of 30 (the'ratchet wheel having 12 teeth) the game board will come to a standstill in :Such arposition that the characters, as set up, again ,stand between vand 26 are indi-V some of the lines indicating diameters, so that, for instance, the red character which previously was positioned on the starting domino 25 will now stand above the dash on the domino 27. At this stage, the player is obliged to solve the example exhibited on the domino 27, i. e. in the present case subtract four from five and then, advance his character for as many dominos as the result of the example will give, that is to say,.for one do-mino either to the left or to the right respectively. If, thereby, he encounters a domino of his own colour he is entitled to immediately further advance for the result of the example contained in the domino. Thereupon, the next player starts to advance his character if it happens to stand above a domino of the game board also etc. The paths of movement for the characters as formed by the continuation of dominos on the game board are also provided with radial portions on which the characters can pass from an exterior circle towards an interior one. v

In the game board, as shown in Fig. 4, the

butterflies of the extreme circle indicate the starting positions for the characters and the object of the game is to advance the charactersv to the red roses 30. The passageways between the positions on the various concentric circles are formed by branches and the positions proper by leaves. The branches are so arranged that the red roses are only accessible via'the central buttery 32 and from there by way of the white roses 31.

In Fig. 5 a game board is shown which is provided with starting positions 33 for the characters and further positions 34. The object of the game is that, at first, the players set their characters on the plant, that is to say, on exterior or interior end portions of leaves thereof respectively or else on points of ramification. Then, they begin to compete byjumping and taking each others characters. This sort of game requires a good deal of' thinking.

It is obvious that many other playing fields may be applied to the game boards.

Instead of providing a spring drive for the actuation of the disk a rotative impulse may be imparted to the same by hand so as to act as a flywheel. Y

The game boards may be made of any suitable material and constructed in the manner ot' exchangeable vgramophone plates as is shown in Fig. 6 in which 8 designates the gameboard.

Instead of providing pins 2 on the ratchet wheel 3 for engaging the disk l, a similar disk lniay be fixed to the ratchet wheel 3 or alternatively the disk l may be integral with the ratchet wheel 3, as is indicated in Fig. 6. Y The two parts may be adapted to be lrdjusted in height by means of a set screw In Fig. 7 of the drawings the arrangement is shown in Which the disk l supporting the game board 8 is stationary and the transparent plate 10 is fixed by means of a boss 36 tothe conical end 37 of the spindle 38 of the spring device. The plate l0 is provided With recesses 39 into which the characters are placed to prevent them from being moved out of their position by the action oit/the centrifugal force of the rotating plate 10 I claim:

l. In a game of the type described, in combination, a game board, a disk for supporting said game board, a transparent plate sitnated above said game board, playing pieces adapted to be placed on said transparent plate, and means to cause a relative rotational displacement betWec-n said game board and said transparent plate for changing the positions of the playing pieces relatively to the game board Without altering the position of these pieces on the transparent plate.

2. In a game of the type described, in combination, a game board, a rotatable disk for supporting said game board, a stationary transparent plate situated above said game board` playing pieces adapted to be placed` on said transparent plate, and means to cause a rotational displacement of said disk for changing the positions of the playing pieces relatively to the game board Without altering the position of these pieces on the transparent plate.

3. In a game of the type described, in com bination, a game board, playing pieces for cooperation With said game board, said game board having marked thereon positions for the pieces arranged on concentric circles and spaced apart by equal centre angles or multiples thereof and paths connecting the concentric circles, a rotatable disk for supporting said game board, a stationary transparent plate situated above said game board and supporting the playing pieces to be placed on said plate, means to cause a rotational displacement of said disk relatively to said transparent plate for changing the positions of the playing pieces relatively to the game placement of said disk relatively to said transparent plate for changing the positions of the playing pieces relatively to the game board Without altering the position of these pieces on the transparent plate, and means for limiting said rotational displacement to tioned means comprising a ratchet Wheel having teeth Whose number corresponds to Vthe number of centre angles, and a detent cooperating with the teeth of the ratchet wheel for limiting the rotational displacement.

5. In a game of the type described, in combination, a game board, playing pieces for cooperation with said game board, said game board having marked thereon positions for the pieces arranged on concentric circles and spaced apart by equal centre angles or multiples thereof and paths connecting the concentric circles, a rotatable disk for supporting said game board, a stationary transparent plate situated above said game board and supporting the playing pieces to be placed on said plate, a spring operated device for causing a rotational displacement of said disk relatively to said transparent plate for changing the positions of the playing pieces relatively to the game board Without altering the position of these characters on the transparent plate, and means for limiting said rotational displacement to a multiple of said centre angles, said means comprising a ratchet wheel having a number of teeth determined by said centre angles, a detent cooperating With the teeth of the ratchet Wheel for limiting the rotational displacement, and

a spring for resiliently pressing said detent against the teeth of the ratchet Wheel and acting as a brake to said rotational movement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTHER WALSS.

board Without altering the position of these playing pieces on the transparent plate, and

means for limiting said rotational displacement to a multiple of said centre angles.

4. In a game of the type described, in combination, a game board, playing pieces for cooperation with said game board, said game board having marked thereon positions for the pieces arranged on concentric circles and spaced apart by equal centre angles or multiples thereof and paths connecting the concentric circles, a rotatable disk for supporting said game board, a stationary transparent plate situated above said game board and supporting the playing pieces to be placed on said plate, means to cause a rotational dis- Va multiple of said centre angles, said last men- 

